CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – The St. Louis Cardinals are preparing to open up the 2020 Major League Baseball season Friday at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

As the anticipation builds for the Redbird faithful, so does the confusion behind the rest of the year’s schedule.

St. Louis is set to play more games on the road than at home in 2020. In an already loaded NL Central division, it’s easy to see why some Cardinal followers have a gripe with how their 60-game docket panned out.

For example, the Cardinals will play seven games against their rival Chicago at Wrigley Field while only hosting the Cubs at Busch Stadium for three games.

However, with no fans likely being allowed inside stadiums this season, a true home-field advantage is not expected that would put St. Louis at a significant disadvantage.

The Cardinals will also face some tough interleague opponents in 2020, as they draw the AL Central’s Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins. Many analysts predict each team to be in playoff contention when it’s all said and done.

Unlike the traditional 162-game season, this year’s abbreviated version will certainly be a sprint and not a marathon.

Every matchup will be vital especially down the stretch. If the Cardinals can fair well throughout their first 49 games, seven of their final 11 games come against the lowly Pirates and Royals. These two series could prove to be crucial for St. Louis if they want to remain in the hunt deep into September.

St. Louis fans will also be pleased to learn that the Cardinals have been chosen to take on the White Sox in the first-ever “Field of Dreams” game in Iowa on Aug. 13. This showdown is promised to be aesthetically pleasing and feature some of the games’ best all on one field.

Storylines to Watch

The Cardinals will have to answer a few difficult questions if they plan on making another postseason run in 2020.

The first of which being, who will start in left field on opening day?

The Cardinals have to find a replacement for two-time MLB All-Star Marcell Ozuna who left for Atlanta in the offseason. Tyler O’Neill and Lane Thomas are the odds-on favorites to secure the job, but Austin Dean and top prospect in the organization Dylan Carlson also remain in the discussion.

Before Spring Training closed, Carlson batted .313 and recorded an OPS of .905.

As usually is the case for most teams going into a season, one area to keep an eye on for the Cardinals will be pitching depth.

The Redbirds currently have plenty of capable arms in the starting rotation, trotting out opening-day starter Jack Flaherty, Dakota Hudson, Miles Mikolas, Adam Wainwright and Carlos Martinez who will likely round out the first five.

With Jordan hicks opting out for the 2020 season with a pre-existing condition and John Brebbia on the shelf with Tommy John Surgery, the bullpen undeniably takes a hit. The Cardinals announced Tuesday that new acquisition Kwang Hyun Kim will take over the closer reigns to begin the year.

Lastly, the health of the entire 60-man player pool as well as the coaching staff will be worth monitoring as the season plays out.

Each team member in every organization will have take it upon themselves and adhere to the strict guidelines in place, in order to ensure the safety of all of those involved.

Only time will tell if Cardinals manager Mike Shildt and company can make some more magic happen in 2020.